Nuggets G Christian Braun dunked on Rudy Gobert so hard it almost resulted in a fight

Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun threw a big haze at Rudy Gobert and then celebrated in Rudy Gobert's face. It led to some hard feelings in a rematch of a seven-game series from last year's playoffs.

In the fourth quarter of the Nuggets' game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, Braun found a lane to the basket that took him right past the four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. That's usually a recipe for offensive disaster, but Braun fought through it and delivered a thunderous, two-handed dunk that drew audible gasps from the Target Center crowd.

Braun continued to celebrate by yelling and running past the baseline straight into Gobert. The Frenchman reacted, grabbed the 25-year-old security guard and pushed him away.

The quick intervention of Timberwolves forward Jayden McDaniels and the referees prevented the situation from escalating, but both Braun and Gobert were subsequently punished with technical fouls.

Gobert praised the dunk himself after the gamebut not Braun's celebration:

It was a highlight play for the Nuggets, who took a 10-point lead a minute later. That was the end of the good, however, as the Timberwolves erased the 10-point score within four minutes, ultimately leading to a 119-116 Minnesota victory.

Gobert played a crucial role in the Nuggets' defense, hitting both free throws with 10 seconds left and forcing reigning MVP Nikola Jokić into a difficult 3-pointer to end the game.

Gobert finished the game with 17 points on 7 of 10 shooting with 14 rebounds, three assists and two blocks, while Braun had 14 points on 5 of 11 shooting and seven rebounds. Aaron Gordon led all scorers with 31 points while Anthony Edwards had 29 points for the winners.